Assassination attempt on Gerry Adams unearthed in report into murder of Pat Finucane

A loyalist plot to kill Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams will emerge as part of the report on the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane. The plan was to kill him by attaching a limpet mine to his car.

A letter to Adams from Sir Desmond de Silva, who carried out the review, said, “Whilst the focus of my report is Patrick Finucane's murder, it was appropriate for me to examine it in its proper context. Among the surrounding key issues is the role played by the British Army agent Brian Nelson.

"Accordingly, I wanted to make you aware prior to publication that my report touches on the plot by loyalist paramilitaries to attack you in May 1987."

Adam said, “Collusion between British state forces and unionist death squads was a matter of institutional practice by successive British governments throughout the decades of conflict in the north” reported the Press Association.

“It played a part in the attack in March 1984 in which I and three others were shot and it has already been reported that the British were aware of the plan to kill me in May 1987."

This could refer to an incident after Brian Nelson was recruited by the Force Research United, an arm of British Military intelligence in 1987, reports the Belfast Telegraph. Nelson was a UDA intelligence officer who secretly worked for British Military intelligence, handled Finucane’s details.

In the book “Brits”, by journalist Peter Taylor, he states that Nelson told his handler “Geoff” that the UDA had a Libyan-made limpet mine, which they intended to use to kill Adams.

The loyalists were placed under surveillance and the mine was seized. The plot to kill Adams was aborted because he was travelling in an armored vehicle.

In 1984 Adams was hit in the neck, shoulder and arm when his car was riddled with about 20 bullets. The other passengers survived. Three gunmen were arrested for the crime.

The review carried out by Sir Desmond de Silva, 500 pages in length, will be marked by a statement in the House of Commons, by Prime Minister David Cameron. The publication of the review is expected by the end of December. Cameron has accepted that collusion took place and has apologized to Finucane’s family.

In February 1989 loyalist UDA / UFF gunmen used a sledgehammer to break-in Finucane’s home, in north Belfast. The father of three was shot dead.

De Silva has already said his report will include previously highly-classified material relating to the murder.

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